Today, as yesterday, Jesus has to contend with the Pharisees, who are distorting Moses' Law, by highlighting the letter of the law while ignoring the actual spirit of the Law. Indeed, the Pharisees accuse Jesus' disciples of violating the Sabbath (cf. Mk 2:24). According to their annoying arguments, to pick the heads of grain means “to reap”, while crushing them in their hands signifies “to thresh”: these agricultural tasks —and some forty others— were forbidden on the Sabbath, as a day of rest. As we already know, the bread of offering the Gospel speaks of, were twelve loaves of bread that were placed every week on the sanctuary table, as a tribute from the twelve tribes of Israel to their God and Lord.

Abiathar's attitude is the same one Jesus is teaching us today: The less important precepts of the Law have to give way to the most important ones; a ceremonial precept has to give way to a precept of the natural law; the precept of resting on the Sabbath should not, therefore, prevail over the basic needs of subsistence. The Second Vatican Council was inspired by the previous example, and to underline that people have to prevail over economic and social questions, stated: “The social order and its development must invariably work to the benefit of the human person if the disposition of affairs is to be subordinate to the personal realm and not contrariwise, as the Lord indicated when He said that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (cf. Mk 2:27).

Saint Augustine also said: “Love and do as you please.” Do we understand this saying, or do we allow lesser things to overrule the love we have to place on whatever we do? To work, forgive, correct, attend Mass on Sundays, take care of sick people, abide by the commandments... do we do these because we have to, or because of our love for God? May these considerations help us to revitalize all our deeds with the love our Lord has instilled in our hearts, precisely so that we can also love Him.